Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: August 13-19, 2023 Fed hike remains on the horizon The minutes from the last Federal Reserve meeting were released last week. They showed some Fed members were in favor of pausing rate hikes, but most were on the side of continuing to raise rates. The 10-year Treasury zoomed…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: August 6-12, 2023 Sticky inflation Inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), came in at 3.2% year over year for July, up 0.2% from June’s reading of 3.0%. The producer price index (PPI) was also elevated from the June reading, yet the year-over-year rate remained at…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: July 30 – Aug. 5, 2023 Consequences Fitch Ratings downgraded the United States’ long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating from AAA to AA+ last Tuesday, removing the “negative” rating watch and assigning a “stable outlook” label instead. (It’s like saying we were a shaky No. 1 but now a…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: July 23 – July 29, 2023 Another Fed meeting, another rate hike As anticipated, the Federal Reserve increased interest rates by another 25 basis points during last week’s meeting, taking the Fed Funds rate to 5.25-5.50% (the highest level since 2001). In his post-meeting remarks, Fed Chair Jerome…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: July 16 – July 22, 2023 Rally continues as the market anticipates the July Fed meeting Last week was a strong one for the market, even though corporate earnings were mixed. (More on this in the next section.) Overall, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) closed at new…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: July 9 – 15, 2023 Rally continues as inflation drops Markets had a strong week, posting year-to-date highs as we topped 4,500 on the S&P 500. The primary driver for the continued rally? Anticipation (and then affirmation) of declining inflation readings. Remember last year? The Consumer Price Index…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: July 2 – July 8, 2023 Minute by minute The latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes were released last week. Members pretty much completely agreed on the need for additional rate hikes, virtually guaranteeing at least a 25-basis-point (.25%) increase at their next meeting on July 25 and 26.…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: June 25 – July 1, 2023 Fed chairman keeps sights set on potential rate increases Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell doubled down on talk of additional, consecutive interest rate increases in the coming months — forecasting a potential half-percentage-point increase through the end of 2023 as the Fed…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: June 18-24, 2023 Markets pause as summer officially starts and Powell weighs in After reaching 4,400 points at breakneck speed, the S&P naturally took a few steps back last week. Markets have slumped since the last Federal Reserve meeting, as they digested recent gains and consolidated at a…

Weekly Market Commentary THE WEEK IN REVIEW: June 11-17, 2023 The 11th time is the charm! Stop, skip — or something else? As expected, the Federal Reserve left interest rates alone last week after raising rates at its prior 10 meetings. Markets have been clamoring for a cessation in rate increases since the beginning of…